(Starring Rajkkummar Rao, Mouni Roy, Bomen Irani, Paresh Rawal, Gajraj Rao)
As the character of Paresh Rawal in the film says, “It needs balls of Steel” to make a film on sex, sexuality, aphrodisiac, erectile dysfunction, penis and the like in a country like ours, and kudos to makers for attempting such a bold film for our naive audiences.
Directed by Mikhil Musale (who had earlier directed National Award winning Gujarati film “Wrong Side Raju”) and based on the novel of the same name by Parinda Joshi, the film explores the story of a Gujarati businessman, played by Rajkummar Rao, who goes to China to increase his business prospects. There he was introduced to the Chinese version of Viagra, and was told that it would sell like hot cakes, because Indians are always thinking about sex.
At the heart of it, Made In China carries the message of normalising conversations around sex and exposing the taboo and hypocrisy around it, which is commendable (though it gets preachy at times). However, where the film flatters is the weak storyline with digressions in the narrative and various portions which feel over-stretched.
The film’s cast is what it makes worth watching even once. Rajkummar Rao as a naive Gujarati businessman who has failed in all his endeavours until this one, is endearing, sincere as the bumblig, under-whelming Raghu. Bomen Irani, as usual, is a delight to watch as Dr. Vardhi, who has a goat named “Prabha” for company. Other actors like Paresh Rawal and Gajraj Rao excel in their brief roles.
Though the film’s message about de-stigmatising sex is well-intentioned, it gets buried under the weight of an imperfect script. But watch it for the sheer brilliance of its cast. I’m going with 3 out of 5 for Made In India.